SENATOR Imee Marcos kept herself busy performing her senatorial duties on her birthday, Saturday (Nov 12) in Cagayan de Oro City and Tagoloan town in Misamis Oriental, said City Councilor George Goking today, Nov. 13.

Even on Sunday, Goking said around 942 beneficiaries in the city of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) received their aid.

“Imee certainly continues with her senatorial duties while celebrating the quietude of the day of her birth,” Goking said.

According to Goking, Sen. Marcos will be distributing “Nutribuns” and AICS in the city and Tagoloan, as part of her birthday celebration.

In an earlier report, Sen. Marcos to provide a ceremonial distribution of P3,000 each to 2,000 individuals from cdo and Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental amounting to a total of P6 million from the DSWD thru her initiatives, said Goking.

The distributions of the cash aid are to be held at the city hall, at 9 a.m, and in Tagoloan Dome,  at 10 a.m. as she will also be giving toys to 200 children in CDO and Tagoloan.

It was attended by the city and town officials and Senator Imee herself, according to Goking.

“The city Mayor Rolando Uy is very grateful to Sen. Marcos as the program according to mayor Uy is very laudable,” Goking said.

The cash assistance will cover education, medical, transportation, burial, and food and non-food to assist beneficiaries in providing the basic needs of their families.

Goking also said the program benefited the city and the town's indigenous farmers, fisherfolk, and homeless individuals who received P3,000 each.

AICS according to Goking is a government program that serves as a social safety net or stop-gap measure to support the recovery of indigenous individuals and families suffering from unexpected life events or crises.

The program started in 2014 and was revised in 2019 to complement the social amelioration program to sustain the necessities of the families severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in both health and socio-economic aspects.

So far, about 7,000 individuals nationwide benefit from the AICS cash assistance, most are from the National Capital Region (NCR) as of April 2021, the DSWD reported.

The aid is delivered through the various Crisis Intervention Units (CIU) at the DSWD Central Office, field offices, and satellite offices in provinces.

In an interview with reporters, Marcos said she is eyeing expanding the AICS cash distribution to more vulnerable sectors not only in the city and Tagoloan town but the entire Philippines.